Hand tools only?
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I’m still fairly new to all this and would like to, at some point, get into making small boxes of various kinds. I’ve noticed many professionals also use machines in preparing their work. How many of you work exclusively with hand tools. Do you use machine/power tools to prepare stock, or for fine work?
I’m beginning to realise the obvious limitations of having these things in a small flat, and wanted some other peoples experiences on woodworking within these constraints, and how feasable it really is.
Thanks.
Hi Franco… I’m new to woodworking… have been building my shop, bench, acquiring tools, etc… I work in a utility room in my house with little space. I decided early on to work entirely with hand tools. It definitely works well if you have a small work area, and it is very satisfying to work with traditional tools.
I have a small drill press and a portable power drill… that is about the only thing I use as far as power tools… hand drilling just didn’t seem to appeal to me for some reason, although I may try it at some point. I have a buffer and belt sander that I was using for some projects before I started getting into wood working, but I mostly hand sand now.
Anyway, I mean to say that I am in a similar situation as you with limited space and hand tools are working out well for me, and I find them fun and satisfying to use.
Hey Franco,
All hand tools for me buddy. I don’t see anything wrong in using power tools, if you have them or want them, that is your personal choice.I also work from a room at home, so I do have to consider the noise.
I think if I Introduced any power tools, it would be a thickness planer and a band saw. I love just using hand tools, I have no rush to finish any projects, I do love the satisfaction you get when a project is finished though. 😉
Thanks Jay. We are on similar paths indeed. I am in the process of gradually acquiring tools (some second hand old tools) and building up the bits that I need: clamps, materials, oh…and bulding a bench. My initial excitement dipped a bit when I realsied how difficult it is to build on wobbly plastic table (that and the fact my skills are non-existent!) but hopefully as I progress with the bench all will be better.
Anyway, thanks for your feedback. Once my skills improve, I may find it more satisfying too.
Thanks Ken. It’s reassuring to know that I will be able to achieve what I want to without machines everywhere.
I should stop watching ‘youtube’ videos of workshops that have all these tools in them. Maybe that’s why I started doubting what I could achieve in my humble flat.
Hi Franco,
I (still) work exclusively with hand tools for two main reasons:
– low noise except for heavy mortising
– satisfaction that comes when something completely handmade comes togetherA year ago I said I want to really master basic handtool methods before considering machines to enter my workshop.
A year later now, I feel a lot more confident but still far from perfection.
Some repetitive tasks start to annoy me a little bit. For example, today I prepared 8 boards to be crosscut at either end and that made almost 10 meters of knifewall cut with the knife and deepened with the chisel. It’s not that this kind of work is not fun any more – and even now after many meters of knifewall in my still short woodworking life there are aspects I discover that make the procedure quicker and or more accurate – it costs a lot of time and this is a good to which I haven’t got unlimited access.
Saying that, I know that at some point in the near future a basic set of machines or maybe just one will be part of my woodworking.For small boxes which as we know may be very fine and demanding I would not think about machines except for you plan to make mass production.
Short boards are relatively quickly cut and planed to length and thickness and the rest is pure fun with handtools.9 December 2013 at 9:18 pm #23407I noticed someone said “machines for fine work.” It’s the other way round really. By the time this next year has passed and you’ve made some of the training projects we have planned ahead, you will see hand tools means fine work.
Thanks for the replies.
In terms of ‘machines for fine work’, I was thinking of small, narrow rebates and similar applications that I am finding really difficult with hand tools. Admittedly, I am still very much a beginner, and it may well be my skills are not up to par yet. Thanks for the encouragement everyone.
Paul, very good to hear your advice. I guess I underestimated how difficult it would be; your videos make it look all so easy!!
9 December 2013 at 10:17 pm #23417Hand tools only for me as well. I do have an old small portable table saw that I’ve used to mill 2x construction lumber into smaller pieces. I will only use it outside though. I was given a very small drill press and managed to get it working. I’ve only used it to make the divots (425) for some marble game boards (I had several to do) and doubt I will use it for anything else.
I find most operations that I do to be quicker, easier and safer with hand tools. Also more accurate.I am also quite new to woodworking and I only have hand tools (except a cordless screwdriver) in my small workspace, which is only a bench in the basements utility room. In my mind hand tools give the finished piece a “soul” you can’t achieve using mostly power tools.
I got 15′ of untrimmed (“unbesäumt”, i.e. just sliced and dried) oak board and tried to prepare a piece of it for the breadboard-ends cutting board project, and it does take a lot of time for an inexperienced person to get it – more or less – straight and true. But it’s this where you get the experience. I also got a load of rough sawn timber for a rack. If I get too frustrated with the progress, I just use trimmed and planed boards to make a box in less time and get something finished.
It would be very hard to run a successful business without at least some limited means to increase efficiency, I suppose. But since I do not need to finish something quickly (unless it’s a present), I can take the time and learn the trade and eventually, I hope I will be able to build something with hand tools in a reasonable time.
David
Hi Franco, I work out of a second bedroom, about 8 foot by 10 foot. So far I’ve built quite a lot of stuff, even some large pieces for my tools. I have yet to finish the lid for my rolling tool chest but that’s my winter project this year. That has been a project pretty much done with rough lumber all sized and dimensioned by hand using a scrub plane, #6 fore plane and handsaws. It’s a lot of work but it’s much less expensive for the materials (walnut, pine and cherry). All that on a mini Paul’s bench measuring only 4 feet long. Forced into a small workshop like this, tool organization/storage becomes a critical part of your space. Before I built my cabinet and tool chest I had all my tools in Rubbermaid tubs. It became an exercise in frustration any time I wanted to do some work.
The nice thing about hand tools is that you can set up a shop capable of building pretty much anything with a relatively small investment compared to power tools.
9 December 2013 at 10:26 pm #23423I am primarily Hand Tools as well, although I do have all the main power tools except for a table saw which I did sell. I do use my Band Saw and a corded Drill on occasion, and I have a Shopsmith which I use mainly as a Drill Press if needed and my lathe. But I haven’t used it in all most 5 years.
I am learning Hand tools and since discovering Paul Sellers this in my opinion is the way to go. It takes me a little longer obviously to thickness wood but I haven’t cranked up my jointer or planer in years either.
Plus I like the challenge and also the health benefits ( exercise ) from using Hand Tools. I am in no hurry nor do I plan on getting into production work.
Steve
I started Woodworking roughly 10 years ago and at that point thought I needed every power tool on the market (because that is what the magazines were showing me). So I started acquiring the Tablesaw, bandsaw, Jointer, Thickness Planer, Mortising machine, Shaper, drill press, router, etc. Not until the last couple years did I realize the joy and quality of product that hand tools can produce. So now I am slowly replacing my power tools for hand ones. I have still kept my table saw, jointer and thickness planer though because at the moment it just is not practical for me to dimension my lumber with handtools only. If I can ever retire from my ‘paying job’ I would like try my hand at handtools only, but for now it is a combination for me.
Dallas
9 December 2013 at 10:40 pm #23426Thank you for the compliment Franco. I’m just tying to learn along with everyone else. I’ve always wanted to work with wood. Thru the years almost all of the information out there was centered around the latest and greatest power tool. I have never had the space or the budget for power tools. What little hand tool information was out there was either poor technique or they made it out to be extremely difficult. Then a little over a year ago I stumbled upon Paul’s blog and then Masterclasses came along. With Paul’s teaching, and a few hand tools, years of pent up projects, as well as new ones, are starting to become a reality for me.
Proper instruction and hand tools opened up a whole new world for me. -
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